A Secret Just For Us to Know
by hollaAtcha xD
Summary: It's a new year at Hogwarts and Malfoy and Hermione are Head Boy and Girl, lucky for them. Just as Hermione begins to go crazy spending time with Malfoy, her bad luck begins to change, but for better or for worse? It was a secret just for them to know.
1. Chapter 1

"Well, how do I look?"

Harry and Ron's mouths were open in shock and their eyes were as round as dinner plates. Ginny finally found her voice and smiled widely. "Hermione, you look absolutely, positively, 100 percent gorgeous!"

Hermione smiled and spun around. Her deeply tanned skin (from her vacation in Aruba) matched perfectly with her deep brown/green eyes. Her long, straight brown hair rested just above her belly button and her new wardrobe accentuated her perfect curves. She was sporting a pair of dark blue denim jeans, a pink tanktop, brown flipflops, brown Chanel sunglasses, and a brown Hérmes handbag.

Yes, Hermione Granger was definitely ready for the new school year.

Harry grinned. "You look GREAT, Hermione."

Ron nodded, smiling. "You really changed! You look great."

Hermione smiled. "Thanks!" She hugged her three best friends. They handed their luggage to the luggage man and boarded the train. Occupying the last compartment on the train, they settled down while the train started moving.

"So what did you guys do this summer?" Hermione asked, applying a coat of Berry Good lipgloss from MAC. "Sorry I couldn't go to the burrow." She frowned. "I really wanted to, but my parents won a raffle at their company's party and they got a free trip to Aruba, so that's where we were."

"Lucky!" exclaimed Harry, Ron, and Ginny at the same time.

"We just hung around," said Ginny. "There wasn't much to do. We mostly went to Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade."

"I bought you guys gifts from Aruba!" Hermione exclaimed. "I forgot." But before her hand could reach into her bag, the compartment door slid open.

Draco Malfoy was standing there. He had grown over the summer. His muscular arms were visible under his thin black shirt and his black pants and silver belt looked very expensive, as always. His grown-out platinum blonde hair was tousled and fell over his silvery-blue eyes.

He crossed his arms and smirked. "What do we have here? Pothead, Weasle bee, Weaslette, and Mudblood Granger. What a surprise."

Harry and Ron were about to stand up, but Hermione put up her arm. She stood up instead.

She could feel Malfoy's eyes looking over her. She could tell he was surprised about her change over the summer.

"Watch your eyes, Malfoy." She smirked. "You don't want them to bleed from staring at a Mudblood for too long, would you?"

Malfoy glared at her through menacing eyes. "I wasn't _staring _at you, Granger. I was trying to picture you in a mud pile, which is where you belong."

Hermione turned around to face her friends. " I think Malfoy has lost his touch, don't you?" She smirked at Malfoy. "Sorry to say, but this is an arse-free zone, so you might want to leave." She pointed towards the door.

"Why you filthy little—" Hermione pushed his legs so he fell back against the window outside the compartment. She then slid the door shut and locked it. She smirked at him through the window.

"_What now?"_ she mouthed, and sat down.

Her friends stared at her as she sat down in confidence. "Who are you and what have you done to Hermione?" Ginny asked, wide-eyed. "When did you learn to talk back to Malfoy like that?"

Hermione shrugged and smiled. "I dunno. But I could get used to it."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

As they watched the sorting of the first years, Hermione was please to see that Gryffindor got the most new students out of everyone. Dumbledore stood up as soon as the stool and the sorting hat were out of sight.

He clapped his hands once to get everyone's attention. He smiled through his half-moon spectacles. "I am extremely pleased to welcome you all back to Hogwarts. I am _also _very please to announce this year's Head Boy and Girl. Everyone, Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger."

There was a loud amount of applause, but also scattered in were a large amount of whispers and points and scared faces.

Hermione's mouth popped open when she heard her name, but it fell to the floor when she heard _Malfoy's._

Harry, Ron, Ginny, and everyone at the Gryffindor and Slytherin tables gaped at Professor Dumbledore, who seemed oblivious to their gazes.

"There must be some mistake," Hermione muttered. She stole a quick glance at Malfoy to see him seem equally as shocked. Hermione slowly lowered herself into her seat, still in a state of disbelief.

Ron groaned and patted Hermione on the back. "We feel your pain."

Hermione shook her head. "Ugh! I can't believe Professor Dumbledore put me with Malfoy!"

Harry looked uncomfortable as the feast began. "Well, I don't mean to discourage you, Hermione, but he doesn't go by how well you get along. He goes by what grades you get. And I hate to admit that Malfoy got some pretty good grades last year."

Hermione glared at him. "He only got good grades because Professor Snape favors him the most out of all of his students so he gives him good grades even if he's always being a big git."

Ginny tapped her fingers on the table. "That's true." She sighed. "Well, we can't do anything about it now. Let's eat. I'm _starving!_"

Everyone besides Hermione laughed.

"That's what Ron is supposed to say!" Harry said, looking at Ron. His face was already stuffed with mashed potatoes and chicken.

Hermione tried her hardest to muster up the most convincing smile she could, but how could she smile at a time like this? She was stuck with the person she hated the most for the _rest of the year. _What luck.

Hermione barely touched her dinner that night. Right before Dumbledore let everyone go to their dormitories, Professor McGonagall abandoned the teacher's table. She walked up to Hermione and said, "Miss Granger, I am supposed to show you and Mr. Malfoy where your new Head dormitories are."

Hermione's eyes popped out of her head. "We have to _share _a dormitory? YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!"

Professor McGonagall looked at her disapprovingly. "Miss Granger, as my best student I would have thought someone like you would take this situation more calmly." She briskly walked over to the Slytherin table, much to her dislike, and assumed she told Malfoy the same thing she told Hermione. She saw his mouth pop open and a look of great dislike spread across his face as he walked across the Great Hall to Hermione.

Professor McGonagall sighed. "Let's get this over with." She led them out the double doors and into the corridor. They went across a few turns, a few twists, a few doors, but finally they got to the top floor of the castle that overlooked all of the dormitories of the other houses.

Professor McGonagall turned to the two Heads. "Now, this is your dormitory. The password is "communication". The reason why your dormitory is so high and overlooks all of the other houses, is because when you make your daily rounds at night and in the afternoon, you will need to go through all of the corridors to all of the portraits to make sure nothing is wrong. Am I understood?"

Hermione and Malfoy both nodded.

"Good. All of your luggage has already been brought up. Your classes start tomorrow. There are schedules on your night tables. Good night." She walked away and disappeared.

"I can't believe I have to share a same common room with YOU," Hermione spat at Malfoy, crossing her arms.

Malfoy glared at her. "I can't believe I have to share a common room with a MUDBLOOD."

Hermione rolled her eyes and turned towards the portrait, which was of a fat, bald man in a nice, black tailored suit sitting at a wooden table.

"Ah!" he said heartily. "New Heads, I suppose?" He had a thick Irish accent. "Well, yeh better tell me the password, Lad, or am I gonna sit here all night?"

"Communication," Draco muttered, and the portrait swung forward.

The common room was a large, spacious room with soft, green and gold couches (Slytherin and Gryffindor), a large brick fireplace, polished hardwood floors, and large rugs. Big bookcases covered one wall and the wall on the other side was made of window with a large green and gold curtain held to the side with a gold hook. There was a spiral staircase in the middle of the room that led upstairs to the bedrooms and bathrooms.

Hermione and Draco made their way, quite reluctantly, upstairs to see their rooms. The first two doors on the left and right side were the bedrooms. The one on the left had a green handle for Malfoy and the one on the right had a gold handle for Hermione.

Both bedrooms were made in their house colors. They both had a large, queen-sized bed, a big bookcase, a closet, a desk, and a pair of double doors that led to a balcony. The next room on the right was a bathroom. It was made completely of sea green, gold, and white tiles. The sinks and bathtub were made of marble, and the floor was made of white tile.

Hermione shook her head in disbelief. "We have to SHARE a bathroom?"

Malfoy winced. "Imagine, a MALFOY sharing a bathroom with a Mudblood! What would my father say?"

Hermione rolled her eyes and they moved on. The second door on the left, surprisingly, was a kitchen. Hermione picked up the card that was on the counter.

_Dear Mr. Malfoy and Miss Granger,_

_Congratulations of becoming this year's Head Boy and Girl! This kitchen is made especially for you. If you pull on the red velvet rope by the sink, a house elf will be there to assist you and get you whatever you desire to eat or drink. Remember, no alcohol in the dormitories! Good night and good luck._

_Sincerely, Professor Albus Dumbledore_

Malfoy smirked. "Well, a house elf of our own! This isn't so bad after all."

Hermione opened her mouth to say something about S.P.E.W., but decided against it. She needed everything _but _an argument with Malfoy at this moment. So they went on.

The next room was a study room, or as they guessed, a recreation room. There were two desks stocked with parchment, quills, and ink, a bookshelf, a fireplace, a Wizard's Chess set on an oak table, and a few couches by the windows.

Hermione turned to Malfoy. "If you ever come NEAR my room, I swear I will hex you into obviation!"

Malfoy chuckled. "And why would I want to get near a Mudblood's room?"

Hermione smirked. "Malfoy, please, Mudblood is getting kind of old, don't you think?"

For the first time, Malfoy didn't have a smart comeback.

Hermione smiled to herself, and locked herself into her bedroom, leaving Malfoy glaring at her in the hallway.

The first thing Hermione did when she got into her room was put a few non-reversible charms on her door to keep Malfoy from coming in unless she allowed it. The first one she put was if Malfoy ever came near her door or touched it, he would be thrown back. The second one was if he touched the actual handle, he would grow rashes all over his body. The next few ones were just reassuring charms so no one could use an "Alohamora" charm to open her door.

She fell back onto her bed and felt the goose feathers puffing up all around her. She smiled. She could _definitely_ get used to this. All she had to do was survive a whole year with Malfoy… it couldn't be _that _hard.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

A/N: So hope you guys liked my first chapter! I worked hard on it. And I don't know what's up with that "ermione turned to look at Malfoy with disgust on her face." part at the end of the author's note, but it won't go away, so just ignore it! Thanks! Please review! ermione turned to look at Malfoy with disgust on her face.


	2. Chapter 2

"WE HAVE TO WHAT?" Hermione screeched. Fawx fluttered her wings angrily and turned away.

Dumbledore remained calm, neatly folding his gray and wrinkled hands on his desk. Hermione and Malfoy turned to glare at each other.

"Did I hear you correctly?" Hermione asked. She hit the side of her head. "I think I'm having hearing problems."

"You heard me correctly, Miss Granger," Dumbledore said, amused. "You will go to every ball together, every school outing, and you will be seated next to each other during every class, which you have together. I've already made the arrangements with your teachers, and here are your new schedules." He reached into a pile of parchment on his desk and pulled out two cards and handed them to the two teenagers.

Hermione glanced down at her schedule card then back up to Dumbledore. Her eyes said, "Why would you do this to me?"

Dumbledore smiled. "We want to create interhouse unity, and who better set an example for all of the students than you two? The two Heads."

They both opened their mouths to say something, but yet—there was nothing left to say.

"Well then, I feel we all agree, yes?" Dumbledore smiled, yet again and gestured towards the door. "Thank you for taking your time to see me. You may go to your classes now."

The two teens stomped out of the office and Hermione glared at Malfoy.

"This is all your fault," she hissed, not looking at him. They marched down the corridor, attracting stares from all of the passing students.

"This is all _your _fault," Malfoy seethed. "I can't believe I have to spend the entire _year _with you. This is ridiculous." They entered the Potions classroom. They had a double class with Gryffindors and Slytherins. Everyone turned to stare at them and gaped.

Hermione looked around and saw that Harry was sitting next to Pansy Parkinson, and Ron was sitting next to Blaise Zabini. She shot them questioning looks, but they shook their heads and rolled their eyes.

Snape turned around to face the two students. "This year, everyone is getting assigned seats. Mr. Malfoy, Miss Granger, you will be sitting _there._" He pointed to the desk right in the back corner. Hermione turned to glare at Malfoy and walked over to occupy the aisle seat. Malfoy slipped in besides her, mumbling under his breath.

As the lesson went on, which was all just taking notes, Hermione and Malfoy did everything _but _cooperate. They bickered endlessly and Malfoy kept on stepping on Hermione's feet and taking up her writing space.

"Talk about occupying someone's personal bubble." Hermione glared at Malfoy and kicked him under the table.

Malfoy kicked back. "Well thanks to you, we have to spend the rest of the year together."

"Yes, it's all MY fault," Hermione muttered, kicking him again. "Because you're the one always insulting _me._"

"Oh, please—" Malfoy said, but was interrupted.

"Mr. Malfoy." Snape walked up to them, a sneer on his face. "Is there a problem?"

"Actually," Malfoy said. "Yes. There is. I don't want to sit next to _Miss _Granger."

Snape rolled his eyes. "Well, I do feel it is unfair for you to be seated next to an insufferable know-it-all, but these are the rules, enforced by Professor Dumbledore, and there is simply nothing I can do. End of discussion," he added, as Malfoy opened his mouth to speak.

"Great!" Hermione said under her breath. "It's just my luck to be stuck with you of all people."

"Oh, you just wait, Granger," Malfoy said darkly. "It's going to get a _lot _worse."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Hermione woke up the next morning with a big headache, and her feet hurt as well. That's what she got from kicking Malfoy all yesterday and getting kicked back. She sat up in bed and felt the room spin. She groaned. Maybe a hot shower would make her feel better.

She stood up, slipped on her pink slippers, and made her way down the hall and into the bathroom. Turning the knob, she threw the door open.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" she screeched, flinging her arms over her eyes. Malfoy was standing there with nothing on, stepping out of the shower. Thankfully, the steam from all of the hot water covered his, er, private parts.

"AH! AH! AH! AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Hermione backed out of the bathroom and slammed the door. She heard loud cackles coming from inside the bathroom.

"THAT WASN'T FUNNY MALFOY!" Hermione yelled through the door.

"YES IT WAS!" he yelled back. "That's what you get for not knocking first!"

"WELL IT'S CALLED A LOCK!" Hermione shouted. She ran into her room and slammed the door. She decided she would just shower at night.

Pulling on a pair of jeans, a green t-shirt, green flipflops, and her black robes, she flung her messenger bag over her shoulder and made her way into the common room.

Right before she exited the portrait door, she paused. Maybe she didn't have to go to the Great Hall for breakfast. Maybe she could just, say, go to the kitchen! She dropped her bag on the couch by the fireplace and ran back up the stairs to the kitchen. Pulling on the red velvet rope, she waited a few seconds until she heard a soft "pop" and a tiny, dark house elf appeared by the table.

She was dressed in a pale pink skirt and a matching blouse with tiny white slippers.

"What can Twinkie get for the mistress?" she squeaked, smiling and bowing her head.

Hermione smiled. Forget S.P.E.W. This was like living it large!

"A large coffee, toast, and scrambled eggs will do," Hermione said. "Thanks."

Twinkie bowed again and disappeared.

Hermione only had to wait for five minutes before her breakfast arrived. Twinkie set it on the table and bowed. "Please, enjoy." She vanished.

Hermione had only picked up her fork when Malfoy appeared at the kitchen door, smirking.

"Taking advantage of the house elves, now are you?"

Hermione glared at him. "I just wanted some breakfast. Is that really too much to ask?"

Malfoy shrugged and sat down, watching her eat. Hermione felt very uncomfortable, and before she knew what she was saying, she asked, "Would you like to have some?"

Malfoy looked taken back for a moment, but then a sneer appeared on his pale, pointed face.

"No thanks. I don't eat with Mudbloods." He stood up and left.

Hermione glared at his retreating back. She couldn't believe she even asked him. Besides, what were the odds of him actually saying yes? Well, the answer was: none. He had already disappeared.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Harry and Ron turned to Hermione as she walked into Herbology class. They had questions in their eyes like, "Why weren't you at breakfast?" but she just shook her head and turned away.

Professor Sprout entered with gloves on her hands. "Welcome, class! Today, we will be dissecting and examining parts of the Mimbulus Mimbletonia. Now, everyone take some gloves." She held out a container that had bright orange gloves. Everyone took a pair and got assigned a partner.

"… Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger," Professor Sprout finished, tucking the list into her apron pocket. Everyone started to get together with their partners.

Hermione and Malfoy didn't wince, just got to work. They already knew they were going to be partners. They had stopped arguing. There was no use. The teachers were never going to change their minds.

They ignored each other for the entire lesson, only talking when they bumped into each other or had to reach across each other to get something.

…

"Oops… sorry."

"Yeah."

…

"Sorry."

"Yeah."

…

"I need the tongs."

"Here."

"Thanks."

"… No problem."

Hermione was surprised he even responded when she said sorry. And just because she hated him didn't mean she couldn't be polite. Who knew? Maybe this "interhouse unity" thing Dumbledore was talking about would actually work.

…

Well, maybe not. But this was start.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Hermione rushed to the Head dorm after class. It had been a long day trying to cooperate with Malfoy. The result was: a little, teeny weeny, _itsy bitsy_ bit of friendliness and a few bruises on Hermione's shins.

She flung her book bag onto her bed, quickly combed her hair and made her way down to the Great Hall. In the common room, she passed Malfoy. She was trying to squeeze through the small space between the coffee table and the couch, and Malfoy was trying to do the same. They moved back and forth at the same time. They both sighed, exasperated. Hermione said, "Go."

Malfoy shook his head. "You go."

"No, YOU go."

"No, I insist. YOU go."

"Fine," they both said, and walked straight into each other.

They both ended up on the floor with bruises where they couldn't see. Hermione stood up quickly and smoothed down her hair. Draco stood up and tousled his. They looked at each other awkwardly.

In the end, Hermione went through the small space and Draco went around the couches. He went upstairs and Hermione slammed the portrait door behind her.

Hermione arrived in the Great Hall just as Dumbledore finished his speeches. She groaned and made her way down to the Gryffindor Table. Harry and Ron were filling their plates with food when Hermione sat down. They looked at her as she quickly began to fill her plate and devour her food with gusto.

"Er… are you okay?" Harry asked. He was looking at er awkwardly as she gobbled down her large portions of food. "You seem… hungry."

Ron stared at him. "Hungry? She looks like a starved beast! She has more on her plate than I do! She started, and I didn't!"

Hermione looked up and swallowed, wiping her mouth. She chugged down her pumpkin juice, looked straight at the boys and said, "Long day." The tone of her voice clearly told them not to ask any more questions and that was the end of the conversation.

Harry looked at Ron, who shrugged. They went back to eating, keeping a close eye on Hermione.

After dinner, Hermione made her way down to the Quidditch field with a book to watch Harry, Ron, and Ginny in Quidditch practice. She walked high up in the stands and sat down at the very top. She had a good view of them, flying up in the air on their brooms. Practice had yet to begin, so Harry was catching some air, swooping up and down and doing loop-de-loops to amuse Hermione, who cheered and clapped for him. Angelina finally took the field as more team members arrived, one at a time.

Practice went smoothly. Harry caught the snitch faster and faster every time it was released. Ron and Ginny were wonderful as well. Hermione was their one-person cheering section. Every time they did something good, she would stand up and yell their names and wave her maroon and gold scarf in the air.

Practice ended quickly and the bright golden sun was starting to melt into the pink and yellow sky. The lake seemed to shimmer under the warmth of the sunset as Hermione, Harry, Ron, and Ginny took a walk around the lake.

Hermione breathed in the fresh, clean air. It smelled like it was about to snow.

They sat down on a fallen log by the edge of the lake and matched as one of the big tentacles of the giant squid raised out of the water and slapped back down, sending little specks of water towards the four students.

Hermione brushed some leaves around with her foot and looked up at her friends. "We better get going. It's getting dark." The sun was just about to disappear from view, and Hermione led her friends towards the glowing castle for dinner.

Inside the castle was warm and toasty, and they could feel their cheeks starting to thaw the moment they entered. They could hear noise coming from inside of the Great Hall. Hermione shivered as they made their way towards the two big doors. Harry threw them open and they walked inside. There was a large group forming around the Slytherin Table. Hermione shot her friends a questioning look, but they shrugged. Walking up to get a closer look as to what was going on, they heard shouts and slams coming from inside the circle.

Hermione's hands flew to her mouth when she saw Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini ripping each others' insides out. Malfoy had a large bruise on his arm and several cuts and bruises on his face. His eye was black and blue and his nose was bleeding. Blaise's eye was swollen to the size of a cantaloupe and there were many bleeding cuts all over his arms and hands. His face was covered in bruises and both of them were nearly unconscious.

Hermione couldn't make a sound as she watched them fight on the Great Hall floor. All of the students around them were cheering them on, but Hermione couldn't stand to watch this any longer. She stepped a little further inside the circle, raised her wand, and yelled, "Mobiliatius!"

Malfoy and Blaise were thrown backwards and knocked fully unconscious. Hermione rushed to Malfoy's side and said, "Mobilicorpus!" His body rose in the air, and Hermione did the same to Blaise. Just as Blaise's body was lifted off the ground, there was a big slam as Professor McGonagall entered the Great Hall.

"What in heavens name is going on in here?" she screeched. She gasped as she saw the two bodies in midair. "Ms. Granger! What is the meaning of this?"

Hermione rushed to tell Professor McGonagall the whole story.

The professor was shaking as she listened to the story unfold. "Ms. Granger you did the right thing. Please, take them to the hospital wing immediately. Madam Pomfrey will be able to help them. Everyone else!" She spun around to face the crowd with a stern look on her face. "There is no show here! Get back to your tables!"

Hermione carefully made her way towards the hospital wing. She couldn't _believe_ that she was actually helping two Slytherin boys, especially Malfoy and Blaise. She couldn't even believe that she had stepped up to help in the _first_ place.

Madam Pomfrey looked up in shock as she saw the two boys, unconscious, floating in mid-air, entering the hospital wing.

"Ms. Granger!" she exclaimed. "What is this?"

Hermione, exasperated, explained the whole story once again. Madam Pomfrey put each of the boys in a cot and used her wand to heal the cuts and bruises on their skin. She got rid of most of them, but a fair few were still engraved into their skin. Blaise had a large gash across his cheek and also his arm and Malfoy had a swollen, probably infected, cut on his leg and a deep, black and red gash stretching from his right temple all the way down to his chin.

They looked terribly sickly as they lay there, unconscious. Hermione actually felt sorry for them. She wondered why they had gotten into a big fight in the first place, but decided that she wasn't the one who needed to know.

She was distracted from her thoughts by the opening of the hospital wing doors. Professor Dumbledore entered and looked calmly at the two boys in the cots as Madam Pomfrey bustled around fixing a potion for the two students to take.

"Pity…" he whispered softly, and looked at Hermione. "Ms. Granger, I have a request."

"Yes, professor?" Hermione asked, dreading what his response would be.

"I want you to stay here with Mr. Malfoy while he recuperates. You are to stay here until he is fully recovered. If he is still here tomorrow, which I doubt, you are excused from classes. I will let your professors know if it is necessary." He was smiling, but his tone was serious. "Am I understood?"

Hermione's mouth popped open in disbelief and shock. She felt dizzy and mentally slapped herself. "Er… yes, professor, of course."

Professor Dumbledore smiled. "Thank you. Good day." He exited the hospital wing.

Madam Pomfrey tipped some potion into each of the boys' mouths as Hermione fell into a soft blue chair by Malfoy's bed. How was this possible? She had to spend all classes with Malfoy, share a dorm with Malfoy, work together on all projects with Malfoy, and now she had to sit next to Malfoy for a whole DAY just waiting for him to get better? Hermione groaned.

Madam Pomfrey checked the gash on Draco's face and clucked. "Shame… that is one deep cut."

Hermione looked at her. "How long will it take until it fully goes away, scar and all?"

Madam Pomfrey shook her head with pity. "At least another three or four months until it completely disappears. Of course, there are always masking spells that he could use to make it invisible."

In the heat of the moment, Hermione absent-mindedly touched her cheek, just to make sure a gash hadn't appeared on _hers_. She actually felt so sorry for Malfoy right then. He was in a terrible state. She felt sorry for herself, to. Waiting here day and night for him to gain consciousness would be a drag. But on the bright side, she could spend the time catching up on some reading. She pulled out a book, flipped to her marked page, and began reading kill time.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

"Granger?"

Hellooo? Granger?"

Granger! Wake up for Merlin's sake!"

Hermione woke up with a start and looked around the hospital wing wildly. She looked right in front of her and saw narrow silver/blue eyes staring back at her. She jumped a little in her seat.

"Malfoy! You're alive! I mean—conscious! You're conscious! Where's Madam Pomfrey?"

"She already knows," Malfoy said, sinking back down into his cot. "She went to get something for my medicine." He looked at Hermione suspiciously through narrow eyes. "Why are you here anyways?"

Hermione glared at him. "It's not like I CHOSE to be here. Professor Dumbledore made me. I had to look over you while you "recuperated". But I see your injuries haven't had any affect on your attitude, have they?"

Malfoy looked at her with his cold eyes. "Be quiet, Granger. You don't know what I'm going through, so shut your mouth."

Hermione sat back, looking at him with hate in her eyes. "You know, I actually felt sorry for you. Because my heart isn't made of stone, like SOMEONE I know. At least I care about people other than myself."

"Shut up, Mudblood," Malfoy hissed. "Has your father just been sentenced to get the Dementor's Kiss? Is your mother crying in hysterics and going home drunk every night? Has your best friend attacked you in front of everyone? Has your father been made up as a fool on the front page of the Daily Prophet? I don't think so, so just shut up."

Hermione was quiet for a few moments. She looked up at Malfoy with eyes full of tears. "You know Malfoy, yesterday I felt sorry for you. Now, I feel sorry for myself for acting so stupid to think that you would actually have a heart for once. I helped you, and what do you do? You insult me, even when you're still in pain. Who put you in the hospital wing when you were hurt? Who saved you when you were fighting with your so called "best friend"? You could have _died_ if Blaise got carried away! I hate you Malfoy, but at least I have a heart."

Hermione stood up, tears staining her cheeks and Malfoy just looked at her with no expression on his face or in his eyes. She stared at him for a moment then turned around.

"Granger…"

Hermione stood still, her back turned away from Malfoy. Tears were still streaming down her cheeks.

"Thanks."

Hermione's rapid breathing became slower, until it went back to normal. She turned around to look at Malfoy whose eyes were looking out the window. Hermione looked at the gash on his face, the cut on his leg, the bandage around his arm, and turned back around towards the door.

"You're welcome."


	3. Chapter 3

Malfoy and Hermione tried their hardest to ignore each other for the next few days. If they weren't in class or on school outings, they completely stayed clear of one another.

Harry and Ron noticed that Hermione was a little bit quieter these days, and they got worried. So one day during lunch, they cornered Hermione.

"Hermione, is there something wrong?" Harry asked, sitting down next to Hermione at the Gryffindor table. There weren't many people because it was a little bit early.

Hermione jumped up, startled. "What? Oh, no, nothing's wrong." She smiled faintly. "Just a little tired is all."

Ron shot a look at Harry. "Are you sure? Because you've been acting differently."

Hermione shook her head, playing with her mashed potatoes. She set down her fork. "I'm fine, really."

Harry sighed. "Well, we're always here, you know, if you ever need someone to talk to."

Hermione smiled. "Thanks. I'll be sure to remember that."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Malfoy sat down at the Slytherin table. He could feel people staring at him as he piled food onto his plate. He scowled at them and they quickly looked away. Scars were nothing to be stared at. Malfoy tried to convince himself that they stood for bravery and toughness. He could feel Blaise's eyes on him and he turned away. Suddenly, he didn't feel that hungry. He left his full plate of food on the table and made his way to the Head dorm.

Hermione looked across the Great Hall to see Malfoy leave the table. She suspected he felt a little uncomfortable. She stood up, startling Harry and Ron.

"Hey, where are you going?" Harry called after her.

Hermione turned around, half smiling. "Back to my room. I'll see you guys later. I'll be at your Quidditch practice, I promise." She waved while backing out of the double doors.

She followed Malfoy quietly into the common room. He didn't know she was there. He sat down on one of the couches in front of the fire and sighed, propping his feet on the coffee table in front of him.

Hermione just watched him sit there for a few minutes until she decided to interrupt his peacefulness.

"Hey."

Malfoy spun around wildly. "How long have you been there?"

"Not long," Hermione lied. "I just came back from lunch."

"Oh." Malfoy turned back around and stared into the fire.

It was silent.

"Uh, Malfoy?"

"Yeah?"

"Why were you and Blaise fighting?"

It was a simple question, but it sure seemed to get Malfoy riled up.

"It's none of your business, okay?" Malfoy snapped, turning to face her.

Hermione glared at him. "Sorry for _intruding_." She turned around to go up the stairs.

…

"Granger."

"_Dejavu_," Hermione thought, turning back around. "What?" she spat.

"Sorry."

Hermione did a double take. Did Draco Malfoy actually _apologize_? That was a first.

Hermione waved away his comment. "It's okay." She made to go up the stairs again.

"So do you really want to know why we were fighting?"

Hermione turned back around. "If you would tell me, then, yes, I am rather curious." She went to sit down diagonal from him.

Malfoy didn't look at her as he was speaking. He was staring into the fire. "My father was front page on the Daily Prophet. It was an article about how he was charged for murder and that he was going to receive the Dementor's Kiss. Blaise said that he deserved it. I told him that he shouldn't be talking because his father was a Death Eater as well. He started cursing off at me and then at my father. He kept on mentioning how my father was nothing but a lump of coal to the Dark Lord and I told him to go to hell. Then he punched me and… well, you know how it turned out." He shifted his eyes silvery blue eyes to Hermione.

Hermione fiddled with the hem of her shirt. She looked up at Malfoy. "So, are you… you know, going to be a… a Death Eater to?"

Malfoy squeezed his eyes shut then opened them again. "No." He was softly kicking the leg of the marble coffee table.

Hermione smiled slightly. "Good to know."

It was silent again for a few minutes that seemed like endless hours.

Hermione looked at Malfoy again. "You know, Malfoy, I didn't mean what I said about you having a heart of stone. I… I got out of hand. I'm sorry."

"Nah, it's okay. I deserved it." Malfoy was looking into the fire again. "I was being a git. I should be the one apologizing."

Hermione smiled slightly. "I guess we should both be apologizing at this point." She stood up. "I should be going. I promised Harry, Ron, and Ginny I would be at their Quidditch practice."

Malfoy seemed over the depressing mood that had been hanging in the air a few moments ago. "GO SLYTHERIN!" he yelled as Hermione made her way up the stairs.

"SLYTHERIN SUCKS!" Hermione called, smiling to herself. "GO GRYFFINDOR!" As she got close to the top, Malfoy called out to her again.

"Hey Granger?"

"Yeah?"

"You can call me Draco."

Hermione smiled without turning to look at him.

"You can call me Hermione."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Harry and Ron loop de looped over the gray sky while Ginny put away her broom and went up into the stands to join Hermione. The sun was almost setting and the boys were just letting off a little steam after a frustrating, yet well played practice.

Hermione shivered, pulling her gray, wool Ralph Lauren coat over her shoulders. Mist was settling over the horizon and cast a foggy shadow over everything. The weather was getting worse as the holidays were getting closer and Hermione prayed it wouldn't snow before she left to go home. She had suffered a bad train ride last Christmas with Harry, Ron, and Ginny when it was snowing so hard the train had to stop and wait for a few hours before the storm let up. It was something she wanted to forget.

Harry and Ron flew over to meet the girls. They were both wearing heavy black and maroon cloaks, scarves, gloves, and hats. Still, they were shivering from the cold. Ron's eyes looked bloodshot and Harry's cheeks were raw and red.

"Let's go inside," Harry said, his voice hoarse and barely heard. "It's freezing!"

So the four of them started off towards the castle. Hermione tilted her head towards the sky and puffed out a cloud of steam. It reminded her of smoke, which reminded her of a fireplace, which reminded her of warmth, which reminded her of the toasty Head common room. Having an epiphany, she smacked herself on the forehead.

"How stupid could I get?" she muttered. She stopped walking, and everyone else did to. Hermione took out her wand and pointed it at herself. Saying a spell, she suddenly felt warmth shot through her entire body from her head to her toes. She smiled, and performed the spell on her three friends, who suddenly got the color back in their skin and the shivers escaped their systems.

Finally happy, they trudged up the hill and entered the castle, where Harry, Ron, and Ginny parted ways with Hermione.

"I think I'm going to stay in my common room for dinner," Hermione said.

Harry shrugged. "Okay. See you later. We'll stop by."

"Okay." Hermione waved as she made her way to the Head dorm.

"Fudgestickles," Hermione said to the portrait. It swung forward, giving her access to the fireplace in the common room. She ran forward, tossed her book bag onto the floor, and knelt in front of the fireplace, rubbing her hands together. The spell had worn off on the long trip up the hill, into the castle, and up to the dorm.

She spent a few minutes in front of the fire before she decided to go up to her room, take a hot shower, change into her hot pink Juicy sweats, and go back to her warm fire. When she got back down after 30 minutes, she found that someone had taken over her territory.

Draco was sitting in front of the fire, cross-legged, head in his hands. His hair was messy, his black shirt was torn, his jeans were scraped, and the skin on his left was black and bleeding.

Hermione gasped, and Draco jumped.

"Oh my God, Draco, what happened?" she asked, walking towards him.

Draco turned away. "Nothing."

"Oh, please," Hermione scoffed, sitting down next to him. "Was it Blaise again? You know you could always tell the headmaster—"

"It wasn't Blaise," Draco muttered, cutting Hermione off. "I was playing Quidditch and the wind knocked me off my broomstick."

"Draco! You know Madam Pomfrey said no Quidditch until you're fully healed. Your scar could get worse!" Hermione sighed. "Well, I could try fixing you up…"

There was no response.

"… If you want me to." Hermione looked at him.

Draco looked at Hermione through the strands of platinum blonde hair that hung over his tired eyes. She was acting friendly—almost, _sweet_. She actually seemed like she—cared.

"I guess not." Hermione was about to stand up when Draco put his right hand in front of her.

"Go ahead."

Hermione smiled softly. She reached cautiously for his left hand. When she touched it, she felt… a spark. She gently took his hand and waved her wand over it, murmuring a charm that healed his cuts and took away all of the little pieces of gravel and rock wedged in between the slits.

She touched his forehead and waved her wand across it. His scratch marks disappeared, but his scar was still engraved into his skin. It looked raw and red.

"I can… do something to your scar… to make it feel better," Hermione said cautiously. "If you want me to. It'll hurt less."

Draco looked at her. "Thanks."

Herimone smiled. She ran her wand along the very side of the scar. Draco winced, but as soon as Hermione said the spell, he relaxed. The scar was no longer red or soft. It was pale colored and didn't stand out as much.

"Does it still hurt?" Hermione asked softly.

Draco half smiled. "No, it doesn't. Thanks." He sighed. "That scar was really bothering me."

"I could imagine." Hermione stood up. She quickly thought about how nice he had acted. Almost… friendly. He had seemed sincere when he thanked her for helping him. Maybe it was alright if she…

"Do you want to join me for dinner?" she asked quietly. "In the kitchen? I don't really feel like going to the Great Hall."

Draco didn't look at her for a second then turned around. He was wearing the first true smile Hermione had ever seen in a long time. "Sure."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Hermione tore off a piece of crusty bread and played with it in her hands.

"So, are you upset about your dad going to Azkaban?" Hermione asked, rolling the bread into a tiny ball.

Draco sighed, tousling his hair. "Not really. Well, you know, he's my father and all, but he was never like a _real_ father to me. Kind of like… a—a dictator, you know?" He laughed emptily.

Hermione rolled the bread ball towards Draco. "Yeah. I guess he was never that… nice, no offense."

"None taken. He acts worse at home towards me than he does in public towards you, Potter and Weasley." He smushed the bread ball between his thumb and index finger.

Hermione was quiet, then said, "What about your mom?"

"Oh, I love my mom." Draco smiled while looking at the crushed bread ball. He rolled it back up. "She was always nice to me. My father didn't approve of her when she was nice to me when I did something wrong. He always thought that wrong doings should resolve in… cruel punishment. Like the crutiatius curse."

Hermione gasped and put her hand over her mouth. "Really? Are you pulling my leg?"

Draco didn't say anything, but he didn't need to. There was nothing left to say. Hermione couldn't be more shocked than if Harry told her he had eloped with a hippogriff and had 3 children named Agatha, Shakespeare, and Georgette.

Silence overtook the kitchen as Draco and Hermione passed the bread ball back and forth. It was steadily collecting filth.

Hermione looked at Draco with curious eyes. He didn't look back at her. She felt something poking her in the back of her mind.

_You care about him._

_I do not!_

_Yes you do, admit it. You like him._

_No, I don't. How could you possibly think that?_

_I'm your conscious. I know everything._

_No you don't._

_Yes, I do._

_NO, you DON'T._

_Haha, don't argue with me. I'm your conscious. I always win._

Hermione squished the bread ball and made a toss for the garbage can. She flicked her wrist and the ball went up, up, and landed with a soft _thump_ at the bottom of the plastic bag.

_Okay, maybe I do care for him._

_You don't just care for him. You LIKE him._

_Do not._

_Do._

_Do not._

_DO._

Hermione looked at Draco. Bits of platinum blonde hair were falling right over his silvery blue eyes. They seemed hollow, empty… yet, there was something about them. The way they twinkled whenever he laughed, which was seldom. But also, the _way_ he laughed. It was the most gorgeous laugh Hermione had ever heard. It just… rolled off his tongue, like a waterfall. The little sparkle in his eyes just made the room light up… and his _smile_… oh, his wonderful smile…

_So maybe I do like him._

_Told you so._

_Shut up._

Hermione self consciously rubbed the back of her neck, like that would somehow bring her words to fill the awkward silence that hung in the stale air. Cautiously, she placed her warm hand over his cold pale one. He looked up at her.

"If you ever need to talk," she said softly. "You know where to go." She stood up and left the kitchen without another word.

Draco watched her retreating back as the kitchen door swung closed behind her. He stared at his hand where hers had once been.

"Yeah," he whispered quietly. His eyes shifted towards the door with a strong longing.

"I'll know where to go."


	4. Chapter 4

Hermione woke up the next morning with her head hurting. She glanced towards the clock. It was only 7 o'clock, but she couldn't go back to sleep, so she decided to have an early breakfast.

She brushed her teeth and threw on a black, white, and red plaid A-line skirt, a white collared t-shirt, and a red V-neck cotton sweater. It was her 'preppy' look. She pulled on ultra-thin, knee-length white socks and her favorite pair of black Marc Jacob Schoolgirl heels. A little spell made her hair stick straight and she pulled it into two low pigtails. She pinned back her natural bangs. They were so annoying.

She pulled on her black silk school robes and tucked her wand into the custom-made wand pocket on the inside of her robes. She threw her book bag over her shoulder and she was ready to go.

She opened her door and was surprised to see Draco awake already. He was making his way into the bathroom with only a pair of green silk boxers and oval-shaped no-frame _glasses_.

_Glasses?_

Hermione blushed and Draco pulled his robe on.

"I didn't know you wore glasses," Hermione said. She smiled.

Draco scratched at his neck. "Yeah. I only wear them when I read." He yawned and tousled his hair.

"You look… cute."

_Good Lord, I can't believe I just said that._

Draco smirked teasingly. "I know." He shut the bathroom door.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Hermione threw her bag onto the ground at lunch down at with a _thump_ at the Gryffindor table. She was surprised that Harry, Ron, Ginny, and most of the table were already sitting and eating. It was only 10:30.

"Why are you guys already here?" Hermione asked. She looked around. The Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables were almost deserted except for a few early bird students. The Slytherin table, to her surprise, was almost as full as the Gryffindor table.

"Quidditch game today," Harry said with his mouth full. He swallowed. "I wanted the whole team to have a big breakfast lunch with a lot of nutrients to be ready for the big game against Slytherin."

Hermione smacked her forehead. "I totally forgot! I'll be there, I promise." She smiled. "I can't wait! You guys are definitely going to beat the Slytherin team."

Harry lowered his voice. "I'm not so sure. This year, I heard the Slytherins are really getting strong. Supposedly Malfoy is getting to be really good. He just got a new broom. Did you get a look at it?"

"No," answered Hermione truthfully. "I didn't."

Harry shrugged. "Whatever. We've been having excellent practices lately, so all we can is hope for the best. As team captain I'm responsible," he muttered, digging into his sandwich.

Hermione patted him on the back sympathetically.

Suddenly, a girl at the Ravenclaw table shifted in her seat and when Hermione looked up, she was staring right at Draco. He probably felt her gaze, and when he looked up, Hermione quickly looked away, pretending to be interested in Harry's Quidditch story.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

"GO GRYYFINDOR!" Hermione screamed with the rest of the Gryffindor house. It was cold outside, and Hermione tied her gold and maroon scarf tighter around her neck. She was seated next to Neville and Dean Thomas, who was doing the comments for the match. So far, _1 and a half whole hours_ into the match, the score was Gryffindor: 110 and Slytherin: 130.

"GO, GO, GRYFINDOR! GO, GO, GRYFFINDOR!" the stand was shouting. Hermione waved her gold flag in the air and cheered whenever anyone on the team made a save. Ginny made a terrific dive just in time to hit the bludger to Ron who smacked it into the Slytherin ring. The score was 120 to 130.

Her eyes, no matter how hard she tried to tear them away, stayed focused on Draco half the time. His blonde hair flew around his face as the wind blew against him on his new broom, the Firebolt Limited Edition 2. Hermione closed her eyes and took a deep breath, opening them again. She found her self looking into his eyes. He was looking back.

Rather self-consciously, Hermione waved a little with her gloved hand. To her utter surprise, he mutely waved back. Hermione felt herself blush under her scarf, and she pulled it over her mouth.

Draco was high in the air, looking around the field, trying to see the snitch. Harry was on the other end of the field, doing the same. Suddenly, Draco hot up on his broom. Apparently, he had caught a glimpse of the snitch. Going into a spectacular 50-foot dive, he looked like a bullet as he lay flat on his broom and darted towards the ground. Harry, seeing Draco shoot down, followed. Harry's broom, which was still a Firebolt, was lagging an inch away from Draco's. Soon they were side by side, bumping into each other, trying to knock the other off their broomstick.

Draco angrily lay as flat as he could, but no matter how flat, he still couldn't escape Harry. When Draco veered right, Harry veered right. When he veered left, Harry veered left. Suddenly, Draco sharply pulled out of the dive as Harry hurtled towards the ground, but he safely toppled softly onto the grass with no injuries and got back on his broom.

Draco looked around for the snitch again. It had vanished. But as soon as he had lost it, he found it again, by the Slytherin end of the field. He smirked at Harry who was a few feet behind him. Draco shot forward towards the rings and stretched out his hand. He was almost there… almost… _almost_…

"YES!" Draco held the struggling snitch in his hand and pumped his fist in the air, shouting. "YES! YES! YES!"

The Slytherin side of the field exploded with excitement. The stands shook as they jumped up and down and hollered and screamed. The Gryffindors were booing and frowning and shouting at the Slytherins, but Hermione was the only one who was smiling.

_He did it,_ she said in her head. _He did it!_

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Back in the common room, it was dead silent. Harry was sitting sullenly on a maroon couch, refusing to speak with anyone. Ginny was sobbing into Ron's arm as he patted her on the back. The rest of the Quidditch team was gathered around the fire, not saying a word. As Hermione clambered through the portrait hole, she looked around at the gloomy room. Deciding not to interfere, she left and decided to go back to the empty Head dorm. She suspected it would be empty because Draco was probably celebrating with his house in their common room. She was right. The dorm was deserted.

Hermione decided to take a quick shower before she did anything else. Smelling like lavender soap when she got out, she pulled on a pair of pink and white striped pajama pants, a white long sleeved shirt, and put on her fluffy maroon robe. She tied her wet hair into a bun and took her book to the common room to read a bit before dinner. Once she sat down, the common room door opened, revealing a frazzled looking Draco, still in his Quidditch robes, holding his broomstick tightly in his hand.

Hermione raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Back so soon?"

Draco smirked and tousled his hair. "Celebrating a little is fine. Consider me a party animal?"

Hermione thought for a moment then smirked back playfully and nodded.

"Nah. I'm a little tired, actually. Playing Quidditch for almost 2 hours is harder than it looks."

Hermione looked him over. "You're not sweating."

"Yeah I took a shower in the Slytherin dorm. I was too lazy." He threw his broom onto the couch and peeled off his Quidditch robes. He was wearing a gray shirt and black pants underneath.

"But you love Quidditch even though it's hard, right?" Hermione looked at him fling himself onto the couch next to his broom.

Draco laughed. "Yeah, of course. I don't know what anyone would do without knowing how to fly."

Hermione looked away, embarrassed. Draco's mouth popped open. "What? Surely you've ridden a broom before?"

Hermione blushed and brushed away the bangs that fell over her face. "No. I'm afraid of heights, actually."

Draco shook his head. "How can you _possibly_ survive? Come on, I'll take you for a ride."

Hermione's head looked up in surprise. Did _Draco_ _Malfoy_ actually invite _her_ to go on a broom with _him_? Like, the _same_ broom? That _he _was sitting on?

Hermione stuttered. "Um… I… I don't…"

"Come on, it's not that bad." Draco picked up his broom and smirked. "You know you want to."

Hermione couldn't help but laugh at his last line. "No, no, no, I'm fine, really…"

"No, come on." Draco went over to her and despite her laughs and gasps of protest he picked her up and carried her over her shoulder. Walking into the empty corridor (because everyone was in their houses getting freshened up after the match) he brought her outside onto the grounds.

Hermione shrieked and kicked her feet like a little girl. "PUT ME DOWN! DRACO MALFOY PUT ME DOWN RIGHT NOW!"

"No can do," Draco said. She could hear him smirking. "This is going to be a ride of a lifetime."

He put her on the ground and before she could run away, he grabbed her by the hand and pulled her onto the broomstick. Before she could get off, he took flight, leaving the patches of grass far behind. Hermione screamed and she felt like she was going to fall off. Not knowing any other way to be protected, she wrapped her arms around Draco's waist and closed her eyes. The sharp winds were cutting across her skin and she closed her eyes even tighter.

Draco laughed freely. His voice seemed miles away. "OPEN YOUR EYES!" he shouted over the roaring winds.

"I CAN'T!" Hermione yelled back. "I'M GOING TO FALL OFF!"

"NO YOU WON'T!" Draco shouted. "I'LL NEVER LET YOU FALL OF, I PROMISE!"

At this, Hermione opened her eyes without knowing it. Suddenly, she screamed, looking down.

"I'M GOING TO FLIPPING KILL YOU!" she screamed, clutching tighter at his waist. He laughed and did a few loop-de-loops, sending Hermione into another screaming fit. She absent-mindedly buried her face into his back and closed her eyes again.

"Open your eyes Hermione," Draco said softly. His soft voice, for some reason, project better than his loud one. "I swear I won't let you fall."

Hermione opened her eyes.

Suddenly, without screaming, she looked down. Hogwarts seemed incredibly tiny. They were floating above the Black Lake, and Hermione could see the giant squid underneath the murky black water. Her hair was blowing backwards and her eyes started to water from the stinging winds. But the stinging pain was worth it. The view from over the lake was _spectacular_.

The bright orange, red, and yellow sun melted into the blurry pink and purple sky. Fading white clouds looks barely visible under the coats of color in the afternoon sky. The trees were set with a hazy pink glow and the grass from Hermione's view looked purple.

"This is _amazing_," Hermione whispered, breathlessly. Her grip loosened on Draco's waist and he puffed out a small stream of visible steamy breath.

"Thank you," he said, smirking. "I couldn't breath."

Hermione giggled softly, and for every reason and for no reason, she found herself resting her head gently on his back. He didn't respond, but Hermione knew that he understood. He understood _completely_.


	5. Chapter 5

Hermione stirred in bed.

_What happened last night again?_

_Oh yeah, the broom ride._

_Boy, that was terrifying._

_What time is it?_

_Where am I?_

Hermione's eyelids flickered, then half opened.

Sunlight that flooded the room scorched her tired eyelids. She felt like getting up and closing the heavy green curtains, but she was too lazy and too comfortable.

Wait a minute… _green curtains?_

Hermione fully opened her eyes. Heavy, dark brown oak furniture covered the room and everything was covered in green and black. Green and black? No, her house colors were gold and maroon. Something wasn't right.

Hermione twisted her head to the right and smiled when it all came back to her. Draco lay next to her on the bed, his chest rising and falling with every steady breath he took. Not wanting to wake him up, Hermione slowly and carefully slipped out of the bed and tiptoed towards the door. Closing it softly behind her, she made her way to the bathroom, dragging her feet on the warm carpet that lined the hallway.

She took a quick shower and brushed her teeth, taking her time in the bathroom, knowing that Draco wouldn't wake up for at least another hour, and she was right. When she got out of the bathroom and peeked into Draco's room, he was still sound asleep, his body splayed across the bed like a fan.

Hermione giggled softly and closed the door, going into her own bedroom, whose bed was still made from the day before. She changed into a knee-length brown peasant skirt with embroidered pink flowers and a white long sleeved boat-neck shirt. Slipping on her favorite pair of brown flipflops, she made her way to the common room, planning to go to the Great Hall for breakfast and maybe catch up with Harry, Ron, and Ginny for plans later in the day.

Hermione was surprised to see Draco leaning against one of the couches in the common room. He was already fully dressed and freshened up.

The only thing that was in Hermione's mind was, _Do I really take that much time getting ready in my room?_

Draco smirked. "Where do you think you're going?"

Hermione blushed, hoping her hair covered her cheeks. She was still embarrassed about last night, but Draco didn't seem as jumpy as she did. He was calm and cool.

She cleared her throat. "I'm going to breakfast. Do you, er, want to join me?"

Draco checked his watch. "Yeah, alright."

They silently made their way down to the Great Hall, stopping right before they went in through the closed doors.

Hermione cleared her through yet again. "Um, it might look… kind of suspicious with us going in… you know, next to each other."

"Uh, yeah, okay. I'll wait a while after you go in." He gestured towards the door and Hermione gave him a small smile before going inside.

"Hermione?"

Hermione's hands rested on the heavy wood, the door not yet opened. "Yeah?"

"You know we'll have to tell everyone about last night eventually, right?" His platinum blonde hair fell over his eyes in an adorable sort of way.

Hermione looked out the window, and then back at Draco.

"We'll let them know when the time is right." After a few silent seconds, she walked over to Draco and gave him a kiss on the cheek before going into the Great Hall.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

"We have… Herbology next," Ron said, stuffing his schedule card back into his robe pocket. Harry, Ron, and Hermione walked out of the Potions classroom after double with the Slytherins. Hermione had felt eyes on her for the whole class, and when she finally turned around when everyone was distracted, Draco was looking at her.

Hermione checked her watch. "Actually, guys, can you tell Professor Sprout that I'm in Dumbledore's office? I have a meeting with him about now. I'll catch up with you guys later?"

Harry and Ron nodded, bidding her farewell.

Hermione quickly made her way through the throngs of people towards an empty corridor. Near the end, she made a right and stepped in front of the stone gargoyle.

"Fizzing Whizbees," she said. The gargoyle turned, and she walked up the steps to Dumbledore's office, where she saw that Draco had already arrived. She sat down on a puffy blue chair.

"Good! You are both here," Dumbledore said. "How are you both? Your classes?"

"Good, Professor," they said.

"Good, good, good," Dumbledore said, smiling and holding his hands neatly in front of him. "Now, the Yule Ball is coming up very soon, and I would tell you all of the details, but you both were prefects last year and heard my talk during last year's meeting, yes?"

They nodded.

"Good. Then you know that is tradition that Head Boy and Head Girl go to the ball together, am I right?"

They nodded, but this time, Hermione dared not to look at Draco.

"Well, then! The ball with be on December 24th at seven o'clock, and it is custom that the Heads share the first dance, so I am letting you know before hand." Dumbledore waved his wands and two pieces of paper appeared out of this air. "These are passes," he said. "They allow you to go to Hogsmeade during the day whenever you wish. At first I was going to ask for them after you bought your robes for the ball, but I've decided I trust you two enough that you can keep them and use them whenever you need them."

Hermione and Draco smile. "Thank you, sir."

"My pleasure." Dumbledore smiled. "So I will post a bulletin on the board tomorrow so the school will be informed of the date and time." He gestured to the door. "You may go."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

The stone gargoyle turned as Hermione and Draco walked down the steps and into the empty, damp corridor. A few ghosts whisked past them, talking in hushed tones, not wanting to disturb the classes that were in session.

"The ball is only a few weeks away, so we might want to go to Hogsmeade sometime soon to buy our robes," Hermione said.

"Yeah," Draco said. He checked his watch. "Class is about to end, so I think we don't have to go. It's the end of the day, anyway."

Hermione nodded, and then turned stopped walking. Draco looked at her, stopping also.

"What's wrong?"

Hermione looked away before choosing her words carefully. "Listen… while things are still smooth with Harry and Ron, I think… I think I should tell them sometime soon. I mean, we don't want to act like we hate each other during the ball, right?"

Draco nodded, listening carefully.

"I know Ginny will be alright with it, but you know…" Hermione broke off then started speaking again. "Things may not be so smooth after I tell them." Tears appeared in her eyes. "No offense to you or anything, but you know they hate you. I don't know what they're going to say once I tell them. It just seems so… impossible. You know what Harry and Ron are like when they get upset…"

After a few silent seconds, Draco walked over and put his arm around Hermione's shoulders. She rested her head on his chest and let the tears spill down her cheeks.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

"Harry, Ron, I need to talk to you." Hermione sat down on a couch in the Head common room. Harry and Ron entered through the portrait hole and exchanged glances before sitting down slowly.

Hermione could feel tears welling up in her eyes but forced them not to come out before she started speaking.

"You know how Malfoy is Head Boy and I'm Head Girl…"

Ron jumped up. "Did he do something to you? What did he do? I'll kill him for you!"

Harry pulled Ron back down. "Let her finish." He looked at Hermione. "Yeah, we know. Go on."

Hermione gave Harry a small grateful smile before continuing. "Well… we started not to hate each other so much. You know, since we've been spending so much time together. And he's not really that bad of a guy…"

Harry didn't raise his voice or flinch. All he did was look straight at Hermione and say, "He's a Death Eater."

"No!" Hermione said quickly. "He isn't. He told me, and—"

"And you believe the git?" Ron said angrily. "Really, I thought you were smarter than that, Hermione. He's a MALFOY! He was destined to become a Death Eater. It's what their kind DOES. He's nothing more than a pompous evil git."

Hermione angrily stood up. "Ronald, you know NOTHING about him. As far as I'm concerned, he's nicer of a guy than YOU ever will be! At least he doesn't judge people on their past. People CHANGE, Ronald. Not everyone is the same as they used to be. And if you were my true friend, you'd believe me."

"He probably put a spell on you," Ron said, seething. He took out his wand. "I'll get it off, Hermione, don't worry."

Suddenly, Harry wrestled Ron to the ground before he could go any damage.

Hermione watched as Ron stared at Harry with wide, shocked eyes.

"Not you to, Harry," he whispered.

"I said, if you were my true friend, you'd believe me," Hermione said, her eyes glistening with tears. "Obviously, you're not my true friend." She pointed a shaky finger towards the door. "Get out. Not you Harry, Ron. Get out."

"Hermione!" Ron took a step towards her and Hermione stepped backwards.

"GET OUT."

"Hermione, he's a Malfoy! You don't know what you're getting yourself into!" Ron looked at her with pleading eyes.

"GET OUT! GET OUT OF MY COMMON ROOM!" Hermione whipped out her wand with a shaky hand.

Ron, not being that foolish, took a few steps back before looking at Hermione with loath in his eyes and angrily walking out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

Hermione fell onto the couch, her shoulders heaving, and sobbed onto Harry's shoulder. He soothingly patted her back.

"Don't worry, Hermione," he said. "He'll come around. He always does. You know how Ron is. Don't worry. I believe you."

Hermione looked up at him, giving him the smallest smile she could muster. "Really?"

"Of course. You're my best friend. How could I not believe you?" He smiled back. "I know people change. Who knows? Maybe Malfoy is one of them who did."

Hermione smiled then sniffled. "One more thing…"

"Well, after what I just heard, I think I can handle anything!" Harry said, smiling.

Hermione gave a shaky laugh. "Well, we're kind of… I'm kind of… his…"

"Girlfriend?"

Hermione looked down and nodded.

Harry smiled grimly. "I thought it would come down to this." He sighed. "It's okay, Hermione, I know you always make the right decision. I trust you, but I hope that you're not wrong."

Hermione smiled sadly. "I'm not. But I wish Ron was trust me like you do."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Hermione knocked on Draco's door.

"Come in," came a muffled voice.

Hermione quietly opened the door. Draco was sitting by his desk reading a book with his glasses on. He closed the book and quickly stood up when he saw Hermione standing there with a tear-stained face.

"What's wrong?" he asked, but he had a hunch.

Hermione slowly walked over to his bed and sat down gingerly on the edge. Draco followed her and sat down next to her.

"Let me guess," he said, slipping off his glasses and putting them on his night table. "Ron and Harry?"

Hermione shook her head and a few loose curls tumbled down from her ponytail. Absent-mindedly, Draco brushed them away. "Just Ron."

Draco rubbed his tired eyes and sighed. "What'd he say?" But he didn't have to ask to know that something had gone terribly wrong.

Hermione turned her head away as another stream of unexpected tears fell down her cheeks. Draco held her tightly around the waist and waved his wand, making a cloth appear out of thin air. He gave it to Hermione who dabbed away her salty tears.

"So I guess Harry was fine with it?" Draco asked.

Hermione nodded, looking at her bare feet.

Draco scratched his forehead. "And let me guess again… Ron was total freaking out and you told him to leave because he would've believed you if he was your true friend."

Hermione looked at him with wide eyes.

"I heard you screaming from the common room." Draco smirked. "You know, for a pretty light and small person you have a really loud voice."

Hermione laughed for the first time that day. "So I've been told." She leaned her head on Draco's shoulder and inhaled his sweet scent of Drakkar Noir cologne.

Draco was doing the same thing, inhaling the smell of Hermione's strawberry kiwi shampoo. "Do you wanna go to Hogsmeade today? Maybe…" he paused. "You could invite Harry and Ginny to come with us."

"But they aren't allowed to go—" Hermione said, but Draco smirked, holding up the two passes. Hermione stuck out her tongue.

"Smart-pants."


End file.
